The government is trying to improve the traffic flow in the Cabo Roig area by revamping the N332. Also they are installing a number of new foot bridges for additional safety but you have to ask the question, will anyone use them or will they play chicken and dodge the cars as they run across the road as always in the past. I remember when I lived in Nigeria and travelled a road much like the N332. This road ran from the airport to the city of Lagos some 20 miles away. Like the N332 this road was also a multi-lane affair. The people lined up on both sides ready for the race with death. They would dart back and fourth across the road until one did not make it. Is this what we are aspiring to on the N332 or are we going to see sense.
The other day I was driving down the N332 when I spotted someone trying to cross the road. As I got closer I realised that it was a woman pushing a carriage. I stopped to let her cross thinking or rather hoped that the carriage was full of groceries and not a baby. All of this raced through my mind as she pushed the carriage boldly in front of her across the street in complete defiance of the traffic. I guess she believed that a baby carriage would stop traffic and it did. But what about that person that had that one too many drinks or was just not paying attention. What happens to the baby, never mind the woman, she was still on the verge with the carriage on the road.
I believe that there is still going to be that element of people that drink to much and decide to play dodge ball with cars but this is ridiculous. At least the Nigerians had an excuse, they didn’t have a bridge to cross over on, perhaps the government should address the cause of the danger (eg dangerous / drunk drivers) rather then implement bridges that people just arnt using, perhaps they should make the roads themselves safer and not larger and faster.
For a few moments pretend you are setting on the beach near what is now Cabo Roig, sometime between the 11th and 19th century when a signal is received from a watch tower down the coast warning of an imminent attack from the Barbary Pirates. What do you do, where do you go, what happens to your family and then you wake up and realize that you were only dreaming or were you?
For centuries the people of Cabo Roig actually did live in fear of being attacked by these pirates. These fast corsair galleys could attack the coast any place any time in search of treasure but more importantly slaves. Between 800,000 and 1,200,000 people were captured from all over Europe during this period in time and subsequently sold into slavery, mostly in North Africa.
To protect yourself from the pirates the best thing to do was to run to the hills and hide until the coast was clear, hence the saying ”no hay moros en la costa” (there are no Moors on the coast). If there was a garrison town close by then you would try to get within its walls before the attack.
The watch towers were constructed along the entire coast after the Reconquest by los Reyes Catolicos Ferdinand and Isabella at the end of the 15th century. These gave warnings up and down the coast of imminent attack as a few minutes delay could mean slaughter or slavery. The towers were not armed and normally manned by one person and if he was smart he would relay the warning to the next tower and then run for all he was worth.
The alerts were given by smoke signals during the day or by torch at night. Some more complicated messages were devised at a later date and transmitted with remarkable speed over long distances. They could tell the number of ships and what direction they were headed in order to warn the next village.
But it is not that place in time and you are safe, there are no Barbary Pirates just off shore and the watch tower is now part of a restaurant, so set back and enjoy your holiday. Have a drink and give a salute to the ones that didn’t make it to the hills.
This delightful holiday area, better known as the Jewel of the Costa Blanca, is really a place of two parts. The first is the beautiful white sand, European Blue Flag, beaches with it’s outstanding views over the crystal clear waters of the Mediterranean. In-addition to the beaches is the ever impressive cliff walks. Next is the night life available here for the holiday maker to enjoy, if you can’t find it here you can’t find it anywhere along the coast.
Once you arrive here you just know that this is the place for fun and enjoyment. This is exemplified by the number of English, Irish and Spanish people that come to Cabo Roig for their holiday. Based on what you want to do determines the time of year you come to Cabo Roig, for me it has got to be January and February as they are the quietest months. This allows you to explore the area to its fullest extent, but if you like the crowds, come in July or August. No matter what time of year you come, a holiday in Cabo Roig will be something to remember for all the good reasons.
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